Coiling strip material



lg- 17,1943-` A. R. N. HEATH ETAL 2,327,263

COILING STRIP MATERIAL Filed April 7, 1941 T.C .TNPP BY Patented Aug. 17, 1943 ooILING STRIRMATERIAL Albert Richard Norman `Heath andA Theodore Charles Tapp, London, England Application April 7, 1941, Serial. No. 387,334 1 In Great Britain April 30, 1940 i 3 claims. (c1. 24e-e5) This invention relates to apparatus for coiling or uncoiling metal or otherstrip material more particularly. `when the strip is to `be passed .through some process-'for example, an electrolytic platingprocess, `after .being uncoiled and before beingirecoiled. VThe object of the invention is toprovide uncoiling and recoiling apparatus Whichwill beof a'simple character and enable the coils of strip material to 'be readily placed in the uncoiling apparatus whilst, 'after being recoiled, they` can be easily removed; The invention is particularlybut not exclusively applicable to an apparatus'in which a plurality of coils, notnecessarily of .the same initial or ultimate diameter, can be treatedl simultaneously whilstpermitting individual coils to be inserted or removed without interfering with .the operation of the apparatus. i t 1 Y Theuncoiling mechanism may be similar `to that yby which the strip is recoiled or, if desired, the uncoiling mechanism may diiTer from the Vrecoiling mechanism'notmerely `by the absence of `mea-nsfondriving the coilsbut in general design to suitlthe particular requirements of the operation. L t e Apparatus for coiling or uncoilingjstrip material vaccprding to the present invention comprises av rotatableV support adapted to be Yengaged by the edge of the coil so as to rotate with the coil and guides on each side-of the'coil to prevent lateral displacement Opf-the strip. Preferably the apparatus comprisesV a pair of horizontal shafts having spaced vparallel axes, eachshaft being tially similar providedgwith rollers and each pair,v of rollers t connectedv by an endless belt which isjsuiiiciently slack to form a part-cylindrical support for the edge of thecoil whenthe latter Vis placed on the belt s o astoengageV the upper surface thereof.'

When such.y an apparatus is to beused forrecoilinga strip a drive'is imparted to the belt through the rollers and their supporting shafts and the peripheral speed of the rollers is greater than the speed at which thestrip'isfed into the coiling apparatus. Further, thelweightvof the coil prevents slip betweenthebelt and the'coil but slip may occurl between,v the belt and its driving rollers. Hence there is no tendency for the strip to be marked or soiled and any slack in the strip as it is fed to the `ceiling device is immediately taken up.

When a similar mechanism is used for the uncoiling of the strip no Vdrive is provided since thestrip will be drawn off the coil by the pull exerted through the ceiling mechanism at the opposite end. Alternatively the belt may be omitted for theY uncoilingmechanism `and the coil adapted to rest directly upon suitable rollers mounted on parallel shafts and furnished with vertical guides to prevent4 lateral displacement of the strip. The path ofthe strip between the uncoiling and recoiling mechanisms will depend upon the treatment it is to undergo but suitable guide rollers are provided to ensure that the strip is correctly `uncoiled and recoiled. The coil may be wound upon a bobbin having one or more radial slots to` receive the end of the strip and these bobbins not only form a centering for the coil butsupplyfthe necessary weight to `prevent slip between the coil and the belt In some cases a nat spring with a gap between its ends to receive the end of the strip may replace the bobbin.

As the coils do not need a central supporting axle, anyv individual coil can be introduced o1' removed from the uncoiling or recoiling apparatus independently of those on'either side of it and adjacent coils can be of widely VAdifferent diameters withoutnecessitating any vchange in the design of the apparatus.

Two constructions of apparatus according to the present invention are shown by Way of eX- ample in theaccompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is -a side elevation showing substanuncoiling and recoiling mechanisms, c t i.

Figure 2 isa plan,4 Y Figurel 3 is a detail on an enlarged scale showing a bobbin in side elevation,

Figurev 4 is a similar View of the coil prior to uncoiling,

Figure 5 shows in side elevation on an enlarged scale an alternativeiorm ci uncciling mechanism,

iFigure 6 is a plan'of Figure 5, and `Figure 7 is a detail showing the guide rollers and vertical spacing bars incorporated in the constructionl shown in Figures 5 and 6.l

The strips .of sheet material are usually initially in the form of coils Woundupon a circular spring l (Figure) and prevented from unwinding by 'means of a retainingband 2. The end of the strip A may be introduced into the gap la between the two ends of the circular vspring I. Each coil may be of relatively large diameter when fully wound and a considerable number of these strips, for example twenty-four, can be dealt with simultaneously in the uncoiling andj recoiling apparatus. In the example illustrated it is assumed that steel strips are to be unwound and pass through a bath for plating be eight inches in diameter and the discs 6 may be about sixteen inches in diameter. Connecting. each pair of pulleys is a slack belt 1. adapted .to form an Varcuate bearing memberv for the edge of the coil when the latter is placed in position so as to engage the upper surface of'vthebelt..v The weight of the coil is taken wholly by the rollers and the beit serves merely toy prevent marking of the strip. As the strip A is -uncoiled,

the diameter'. of the. coi-l bearing'upon.. the belt is reduced. but; any slip Vwhich occurs. takes place between the belt'. 'l and the rollers 5 .and not betweenf. the. strip A. which has` a. relatively'rough surface and the belt. 'lhestrip is. led. upwards over a gui-de pulley', diagrammatically shown at 8", before.y passing through the plating or other tanks generally indicated atrB. f As clearly shown 'in Figure 1 the uncotling. apparatus: can rsimultaneously support coils of very differ-entdameter,V for example azcoil. whichfis fully wound and one which is almost: completely unwound', the fully wound coil being shown in broken lines and the, smalldiameter coil vat A1v bya full-line;Y

After passing. through the tanlr'Br` the strip A passes. over a guidey roller 8a to the recoling apparatus. This is very similar to the uncoiling apparatus: already described and comprises: two parallel shafts da, 4b each carrying pulleys 5a with deeprangesf 6a'. Each pair ofp'ull'eys is connected. by a'slack belt. la. adapted to form. a partcylindrical' support for the bobbin Si prior to the: stripl being. wound upon the latter. The bobbin is provided with a series: of slotsv Ela-into which. theend of a. striplcan be introduced, and the amount Vof slack. in eachbelt 1a is such'that the. bobbin or'. coil rests upon itssurface and is supported by'ithebelt in spite Yof Vchanges in' the diameter ofthe. coil. Thus the empty bobbin 9 is shown by a full line and the fully Wound coil by broken lines at I0 in Figure l.1 The shafts cr, lb. are driven from a motor H- through a chain I2 and sprocket f3. on one endof the shaft 4a and ay chain Ilconnects the oppositeends of the shafts. By this means the belts. 1w are causedto rotateland when a. coil' orbobbin'rests upon them, the bobbin is.' simultaneously rotated so as to wind the strip upon it, until the strip A is fully wound onthe bobbin, whereupon the bobbin its coil of strip material can be removed andrepl'aced.

The speedat 4"which the paralleli shaftsla', 4b are rotated such ,that slip must occur either between the pulleysta and thezbelts V'la--orfloetween-the belts andthe surface of the strip A. and .the arrangementv is such that.. in practice slip will occur between the pulleys and the belts rather than between the belts and the strip A, so that any damage or scratching of the strip after it has been plated is avoided.

Instead of using an uncoiling arrangement as shown in Figure l, i. e. instead of using a device which only differs from the recoiling apparatus in the omission of driving means4 for the pulleys and belts, the alternativel construction shown in Figures 5 to 7 may be employed. This arrange- V.ment comprises a framework l5 supporting two parallel shafts i6 spaced apart and each carrying aY series of rollers I8 provided with flanges l1. The. rollers may be supported on ball bearings so as to rotate freely. The distance between the flanges enables each roller to receive a coil of strip'material'` and vertical spacing bars I9 are provi-ded'. supporting at their upper ends guide pulleys. 25, additional guide pulleys 2l being also mounted at the rear of the frame.

The shafts.v Lware so spacedithat the rollers they carryl willi supporta coil in'its fully: coiled state-.and also up tothe point where it is 'fully uncoil'ed, i. el. until onlythe flat'springr l remains. The 'vertical spacing bars i591 act Aas additional means for .preventing :lateral displacement. or tilting of this.Y coilsvand the:l base. of the framerwork is conveniently inclined as shown. so as; to facilitate 'the loadingon of the coils.

Itis. to; be understood that` the constructions .above described are given'by' way ofV example only` and'Y thatv detailsv may be.y varied vWithout de'- partingfrom' the: invention..

What 'we claimas our invention and desire to secure. by? Letters. Patent is:

1'..Apparatusv for coiling a plurality of coils of strip material comprising a pairv of horizontal shafts having spaced parallel' axes, rollers mounted on said shafts, a slackendless belt connecting eachr pair .of rollers and` adapted `to form an arcuate bearing member'for the edge of each coil which'bears upon the upper surface of said beltn guide flanges oneither side of each roller to prevent lateral displacement of vthe coils, and means for driving the shafts so as to impart rotation to the. coils. Y `Y 2', Apparatus for ceiling strip material as claimed in claim 1 in which the peripheral? speed of' the rollers is greater than the speed `at which the strip is fed into the coiling apparatus whereby'slipcan cccurfbetween' the'belt` and rollers butnot between the belt and the coil.

3. Apparatus for coiling a plurality of Ycoils of strip. material.` comprising a pair of horizontal shafts having .spaced parallela'xcs, a plurality of rollers mounted on vsaid shafts, lateral guide members between each roller, a slack endless beltconnecting each pair of rollers andadapted to form an arcuate support forfthe edge ofthe coil of strip material whichfrestsupon it, and means for driving the belt and the coil it supports so that theperipheral speed of the-belt is greater than the speed at which the strip is fed into the apparatus. f

ALBERT RICHARD NORMAN HEATTL ,THEODORE CHARLES 'l2/3??.v 

